At the revival, as soft worship music was played, Mr. Frederickson, in a cardigan and cuffed skinny jeans, urged the crowd not to believe “the lie” of separation of church and state.
Among the speakers was Heidi St. John, a homeschooling advocate who is running for Congress in Washington state. She commended Moses’ mother – “she disobeyed!” – and admonished people to leave their churches if their pastors were too “politically shy”.
Mr. Ahn, the pastor of Harvest Rock Church in Pasadena, who also spoke at the event, said he doesn’t see it as simply a church service or a political rally. “It’s both,” he said. “My understanding of Jesus’ kingdom is that He is Lord, not just of the church but of every aspect of society. That means family, education, arts, entertainment, business and government.”
Worship is increasingly becoming a central part of right-wing events that are not aimed at exclusively Christian audiences.
ReAwaken America events, hosted by a talk show personality and Oklahoma entrepreneur, are touted as gatherings of “truth seekers” who oppose pandemic precautions, believe the 2020 election was stolen, distrust Black Lives Matter and want to find out “what really happened”. Most events are hosted by major churches and the main sponsor is Charisma News, a media company for charismatic Christians.
In February, a ReAwaken event at Trinity Gospel Temple in Canton, Ohio opened with a set of worship music by Melody Noel Altavilla, a songwriter and worship leader at Influence Church in Anaheim, California. “Your presence fills the temple as we worship you,” Ms. Altavilla sang. The music rose in the dark sanctuary.
In an interview, Ms. Altavilla said she was excited to be asked to perform because it was an opportunity to “make room for God” at a secular event.